Aug. 31, 2009

Head Coach Gary Pinkel
Injury Report:
"Jarell Harrison, safety, dislocated elbow in scrimmage. He will miss these next couple games. When he will be back I'm not sure. He's going to work hard with our medical staff and I'm sure he will be soon as possible. Will Ebner, strained neck, nothing structurally wrong. Questionable to probable for this game. We'll find out as we go."

Opening Statement:
"Long time since we've started working on this opening game against Illinois. It's a game that is great rivalry, lot of passion from our fans, great atmosphere to start this season off. We are very appreciative of their efforts. It's an intense game to begin the season off. We like starting off with a game of this magnitude. They are a great team. They have a much more experienced team than we have. Offensively, they've got Juice, then they also have Benn and other receivers, running backs, and offensive line attack. I think they have 3 returning starters on offensive line. Defensively I think they have four starters back. I think without question, they will be a very difficult task for us. One that we will work our very hardest to play our best football game. Through our preparation, hopefully we can do that."

On Preparations for Season:
"We break down in February. Every coach is given responsibility for our opponents. We have a plan in place to evaluate video, evaluate personnel. It's very consistent how we do it. We have reports on all those teams, certainly Illinois is one of them. Our philosophy is to get double the number of practice reps for our first game, whether it's against Illinois or not. It's worked well for us."

On New Coordinators:
"Anytime you go into a season everybody's going to tweak something. When you have a new coordinator, who knows what going to happen? We have no idea what we're going to use. [It] limits your game plan a little bit. Our offense has faced that often. It's going out there and being able to adjust."

On adjusting game plan for new players:
"I think it's a little bit different but I think what you do is go back to people ask a lot about Blaine Gabbert and a new quarterback. Whether it's Chase Daniel or Brad Smith, or other quarterbacks I've been associated with, there is several areas to look at. One is on what you're asking a young quarterback to do. The things we did with Chase Daniel his junior and senior we did not do his sophomore year. We did a lot more his other years. Another part, I think it's more so the people around him. Blaine Gabbert very talented young guy, he a competitor he's worked very hard. It defense does their job, offensive line does their job, receivers, running backs and everybody does their job around him it's a lot easier being quarterback."

On Gabbert's Game Day Performance:
"I think so. I think you always are. I think he's going do fine. But I can go through a bunch of other players who are starting too. Everybody looks at that position, obviously. He'll be okay. He's a very talented guy, great work ethic. I think he'll do fine."

On any breakout players against Illinois:
"I want every player to prepare their best and play their best and however that comes out. And I've said that often. I know I was criticized for starting Brad Smith and he could have had an awful game but wouldn't stop him from being a good quarterback. But came out and did a lot of great things in that game and it was exciting were fortunate enough to win that game. So we're not going to judge a season on this game if we play the best ever played or the worst we ever played. We're going to continue to work hard and get better as a football team, and hopefully keep improving."

On comparison of Danario Alexander to Jeremy Maclin:
"His goal shouldn't be to be like Jeremy Maclin. His goal should be to the best receiver he can be. They are different type of receivers. Danario is much taller, a longer strider, great range, can make a lot of plays. Without spring football, and nothing prior to spring football, in May and June nothing, and July finally letting him run some routes. How it's taken him a little while, last week or so the old Danario is back. The guy has refined himself, got back into the swing and the conditioning, and detail of running routes, and making plays. And really making great catches, we've seen a lot of that in the last week and it's really exciting. I've never asked a player to go in and be somebody else. You are who you are. As Blaine Gabbert should be Blaine Gabbert, he's not Chase Daniel, or Brad Smith. Hopefully we'll get some good performances and these guys will become really good players."

On Kicking Position Up for Grabs:
"The current roster will start. Tanner Mills will kick off, that's where he is right now. Anybody can beat somebody out for whatever reason. Spoon could lose his job in three weeks if somebody's good enough to beat him out. We have great competition here. We've analyzed everything we've done up to this point, where everything thing stands is where it should stand based on competition. That's 15 spring practices, almost 30 practices thus far this year and evaluating absolutely everything. Every get-off, every distance, every PAT, and put them in different situations in scrimmages and practice. That's the final decision we've made and we're excited about Grant (Ressel) and what he can do."

On True Freshmen Playing:
"T.J. Moe, Jack Meiners, Kendial Lawrence, Donovan Bonner for sure. There are couple other guys that possibly will play. We have a considerably younger team than we've had in the past so numbers wise they aren't what they we a year ago. We feel very comfortable about those, and very good about the class. They're a good class."

Sophomore QB Blaine Gabbert
On the first game of the season:
"It's going to be fun. It's game week now, so we're all focused in. Practice is a lot harder than it was at the beginning of two-a-days, but we're all just going out there and working hard. It's been a fun ride, and now it's down to business We've gotten better all through summer workouts and now fall, but it's crunch time now. We've got to prepare for Illinois."

On the new offensive coordinator, former quarterbacks coach David Yost:
"There's really no adjustment since I was working with Coach Yost all last year. I've always known Coach Yost, so I really don't see a difference there."

On his first college start:
"It will be exciting. I've just got to stay calm and cool and relaxed, but it's going to be my hometown and all my family is going to come in for the game so it will be pretty fun. They're a good team, and they've got a bunch of key players returning so we're just trying to base our knowledge off of that and just see how it goes."

On the opportunity to have a breakout game:
"The opportunity is always there. That could be any game. With this being my first college start, I'm just going to go out there and have fun with it. I really can't worry about all of the other outside factors that go into it."

On his nerves before the game:
"I get nervous a little bit, but once the first play happens those [butterflies] are all out the door. I'm just excited--football is a fun game, so once the first hit's there it's just back to playing a fun game."

On his confidence in the running game:
"They're all reliable. D-Wash [Derrick Washington], D-Mo [De'Vion Moore], you've seen Kendial [Lawrence] all throughout camp and especially Gilbert. They're all there with that ability, so we're going to rely on the run game to get things started but that's going to open up the passing game as well."

Junior TB Derrick Washington
On the nerves of new offensive players:
"We've been playing against one of the best defenses--we go against Sean Weatherspoon every day, and he's one of the best linebackers in America. If those guys can come out there and play like they've been practicing, then I'm not too worried. I know they'll be nervous--I mean, who's not before a game--but we're going to be fine."

On the potential for an increased running game this year:
"Whatever happens, if I have the ball in my hands I'm going to try to make the most of it. That's what I'm anticipating, and if so all the running backs will love that, but either way we'll just try to make the most of every carry and make something happen. They've got so much speed and quickness, they can always make the first guy miss and they really remind me of each other. They're going to be a great complement to our back field, and if we get the ball we're going to try to make a big play every time. Those guys are really exciting to watch, and everyone will find that out pretty soon."

On having a new quarterback:
"We've got a young quarterback in Blaine [Gabbert], but everyone's going to know about Blaine pretty soon. He's going to push this offense to new heights and do a lot of big things, and I'm looking forward to it. Blaine's looking forward to it. He talks about it all the time--he's excited to get his first start, and I can't wait to see what he's going to do. He's come a long way and persevered through a lot."

On playing a difficult game to begin the season:
"I like playing the first game as a challenge, facing a team like Illinois. It's always a tough game, but after that first game you find out what you really are and where you really stand--how you can do the rest of the season. This can be a make or break game."

Senior WR Danario Alexander
On bouncing back from his past injuries:
"Coming into this season, I just had to put everything that happened in the past into the past. I've got to start new, and just be the best player that I can be. I can't go out and play that game. That would hinder so much of my ability to just be thinking about how I could get hurt, so I don't think about that at all."

On his training in the offseason:
"I wanted to get everything ready. I wanted to make sure that everything was good, so we really came in with the plan that I wouldn't start getting into things until July. I think that helped me out a whole lot, because I felt like I was really ready then. Of course I was getting anxious and wanting to play, but I just had to be patient, and stay in the training room and work on my strength. When July happened around, I just got right back into it."

On returning to his old success:
"I feel great now. I had a pretty good camp, and I tried certain things to make sure my knee was right, and it was. I kind of did little tests every day, things I could do my sophomore year and I tried them and they worked again--different plants, and the way I run my routes, and things like that. It feels pretty good, being able to jump high now and stay up longer."

Senior BE Brian Coulter
On the defensive scheme for the Illinois game:
"Going into the game, everybody is confident in the defensive scheme that we've put together. Last year, the Illinois game was the only game that I sat out for the whole year, but I watched the whole game and I've watched the film a couple of times over the summer. Juice is a really athletic quarterback, so we've just got to do our best to get after him."

On competition among the defense in the offseason:
"Everybody all summertime did a really good job as far as competing and working hard. This spring was a very hard spring for us and we had some very hard two-a-days, and the coaches tested us as far as willpower. For now, I don't see any weakness in our defense confidence-wise. We're just working hard. We can't make promises, but we've been out there working hard since January. We're tired of beating up on each other in practice, so we're ready to hit some new people."

Senior DT Jaron Baston
On the tendency of a defensive player to have a breakout game against Illinois:
"The first year we played them it was Pig Brown and the secondary, and then last year it was Sean Weatherspoon and the linebackers, so I say it's about time for a defensive lineman to have a big show. That's most definitely my big goal is to have a big game and really physically dominate out there, and I think I can work my way into a position to do that. With the help of my team, I hope that I can do that, but we've got a lot of great players out there. I think our defensive line is really ready to show up and really shine out there, so it's a big game for us."

On Danario Alexander:
"That guy is amazing on the field. He's athletic--I've never seen a person in person that can do what Danario can do as far as speed, agility, and jumping. We've had an All-American, but I'll tell you that as far as an overall receiver goes that guy is special. I think that he has the size, the speed and the athleticism to be just as good or even better than some of those big time All-Americans that we've had. He's fought back from serious injuries, but he's 100% now and he's moving better than I've seen him move in years."

On the prediction of Kirk Herbstreit that Mizzou is a team on the decline:
"He's pretty good at what he does. I have a whole lot of respect for him and the whole ESPN crew, and that's what football is about is facing criticism. As far as an overall organization, football wouldn't be where it is without reporters and news, and he has the right to make that statement... but we also have the right to go out there and prove him wrong on the field."

Senior LB Sean Weatherspoon
On which defensive player will have a breakout game:
"I have been pretty lucky in the dome, and hopefully that continues this year, but Jaron [Baston] has informed me that he's going to be the guy this year that makes all the big plays, so look forward to Jaron's coming out party."

On Illinois quarterback Juice Williams:
"He's a preseason All-American guy, he's been talked about in the Heisman discussion, and I'm sure he's excited to go out there and lead his senior campaign and his football team. I've got a lot of respect for him... I've played against him the past few years, and he's a tough guy that likes to run around and make plays with his feet as well as his arm. We're excited to go out there and play against him. It's going to be great."

On new quarterback Blaine Gabbert:
"He's a guy that stays pretty calm. He likes to do well, so when he doesn't you can kind of see it on his face, but I think he's been preparing the way he should. I saw him and Coach [David] Yost talking the other day, and he was already talking about some things he was seeing from Illinois' defense. That impressed me, because it was about two weeks ago and he was already watching film. We're just excited for him to go out there and step into that role and become that great player."

On the pressure the defense feels:
"There is a lot of pressure on the defense. We've got a new coordinator, we lost a ton of guys and we've got a lot of new faces stepping on the field... but at the same time, it's football. You go out there and practice and prepare. You don't want to go out there and give up the yardage that we gave up last year, so that's kind of our main focus is to just be better than we've been."